Dark Hour
by PuniPuni-Chii
Summary: Light ShinjixMina Not good at writing summaries.Just read to find out I Dont own persona 3/4/ nor golden!


"Didn't you feel like you were in a different time?"

5... 4... 3... 2... 1...

10... 11... 12... The clock struck twelve.

Midnight.

The moment you stepped into the empty and placid dormitory, the world just shackled you into a maelstorm of unparalleled and enigmatic chain of events. No one would ever know its mendacious existence. Only you and a few chosen ones get to undertake such menial tasks in order to eradicate it fully which by no means will remain unappreciated by the public.

Things were never the same that very night.

It was the Dark Hour.

-

The hour was never for the fainthearted nor the weak-willed. It does take its toll on you but, everytime you step out of that God-forsaken tower of abyss, you have to praise the high heavens for even seeing the bright morning's sunlight the following day.

The last remnants of the memories of vagabond Shadows audaciously attempting to feast on anyone's very being still lingered in her thoughts.

But, the one last memory that would forever remain was the last time he greeted her 'Goodnight'. The memory seemed further away.

2 months have already passed since that dreadful night. Still, the only thing to do was wait for time to tell.

You just could not forget someone who shared cherished moments with you. Everything seem to remind her of him. Even the most dreaded part of the day.

The grandfather clock's chimes from the lobby reverberated through the silent corridors of the dormitory.

"It's midnight..." Fortunately, going to the Tower of dread was not on the agenda that day. Everyone felt that it was best to rest and conserve energy for the next full moon. Only a few days stood away from another death defying mission.

Amidst the hectic schedule at school and trainings at Tartarus, she would not miss the chance to visit him in the hospital today. It's a good thing they're letting in visitors now, to her relief. The first few weeks after he landed into ICU was quite nervewracking. No one knew what was going on and no one was permitted to visit. The procedure was somewhat difficult to follow and everyone had once or more than thrice rebelled against the "No visiting" rule. But gladly, things have changed now. And this was the first time she's going to see him after more than 5 weeks.

4 white walls surrounded the room and the air still smelled a lot like anaesthesia outside but, the scent of lilacs in her hands seemed to have overpowered it.

"It's been a while," the lilacs were placed on the small bedside table. "I missed you." She continued.

Silence. The only thing audible was the steady beeping of the heart monitor.

"You're looking better. The last time I saw you, I wasn't even able to find the right words to say, seeing how horrid things looked." Reminscing, she put up a faint smile. It hurt to see him like that, not having any means of verbal nor physical communication. She only hoped that somehow, he heard her.

It was already late afternoon and the sun just set. After letting him keep up with what has been happening and after assuring that everyone misses him, albeit, the dorm turned awfully static and daily life has become even more silent, she left while anticipating her next visit. Next time, everyone would be there.

-

Life goes on in the dormitory. As dull as it may seem, things were more than quite interesting not too long ago.

Take it just a few months back, it was once again the Dark Hour. But, no one had any plans to visit the Tower. Everyone was too exhausted due to the ever relenting pressures of school and the myriad of extra curricular activities didn't fall back on keeping things easy. As soon as anyone stepped into the dorm, it was straight to the bedroom. At times, no one even bothered to change for the night nor have a little dinner.

But then, it was an occasion that was somehow out of the norm.

It was his birthday. Things had to be special. It's only been 19 days since he rejoined the team. But, 19 days was just enough for them to form a cherished relationship. And in a somewhat obscure nature, neither of the two didn't know how it happened.

Everyone was in their respective rooms, asleep and nothing could be heard.

Except for footsteps, getting closer and closer. They sound light and is cautious not to wake anyone up.

He pried his eyes open and attempted to shake off his sleep-addled brain's drowsiness. It proved to be a bit of a challenge and he may just have a bit of difficulty differentiating if he's still dreaming or not. Then, the doorknob slightly turned.

He has no idea if it was a dream and the Hour was not helping at all. It has been proven that the Dark Hour has some sort of means to mess up other people's heads. Leading them to a conjecture that reality was nowhere in hand. They almost seem to lie to themselves that they are still in a state of slumber.

"Shinji?" A whispered but familiar voice came from the back of the slightly opened door.

"No way," he thought while catching himself in a bit of surprise. "Girls are NOT allowed on this floor. Why would she-?" Shinjiro has lied to himself that this was just a dream. She was never one to break the rules. She has always abided by them with the fear of Mitsuru figuring out and how she dreaded to be punished. Things doesn't seem right. "Maybe," he snapped back "I am JUST dreaming."

He tried to close his eyes hoping that he was just fast asleep.

"Shinji?" Came his beloved's voice again. "No shit." He whispered to himself. When he shot a glance at the door, there she was standing.

"I just wanted to see you." "Any of this isn't for real!" He tried to convince himself. But, there she was inching her way beside him on the bed or was it a bed? God, his head is totally betraying him now. He is also isn't sure if he even was in his room.

For a moment, he wished that it was Akihiko instead. That would lessen the chaos in the morning if Mitsuru or anyone else figured out what has happened.

Shinjiro shut his eyes again whilst giving him a loud 'smack!' on the head, wishing that it was his best friend instead. "Aki, where are you when I need you?" he muttered to himself. "I know it's you. Quit fucking with me," a stern warning crawled out of his mouth. "Nice try, dressing up as a girl and all, dude. It ain't working on me!" He REALLY must be going insane.

But, the only response he heard was a somehow confused and muffled chuckle striving to state her purpose of visiting him. She must've heard him.

"Sorry, I'm not who you were expecting." She broke him out of his forced but futile reverie. "As much as I want to see what would happen if it was Akihiko-senpai instead, it's just me, sorry." Apologetic as it may seem, she seemed to have laughed at the thought.

"Oh, crap." She did hear him. "I haven't had the proper chance to greet you, Shinji." "Oh, fu- She's doing this because it's... Holy shh-. It's my birthday already!?"

Realization hit.

Silence.

"It won't matter, no one will find out, right?" He finally mustered up his composure with a hint of bewilderment.

She gave him a puzzled look.

"All of this is nothing but a dream. I mean, come on. Since when did a soft, red velvety chair get in my room?" Silence. Was it really just a dream after all?

"This is definetely a dream." Without being given the chance to reassure him, she realized that his face was merely inches away. A blush, seemingly unseen burned her cheeks. The moment froze. And she was slowly drawn into a tight hug, acknowledging her presence while being sat comfortably onto his lap, making her straddle his legs. If things were a bit brighter, Shinjiro would have noticed her face that were ridiculously red.

"I knew it. None of this is real." He again stated his unproven theory.

"You think so?" She finally spoke. "Then, you could keep thinking that." She had no choice but to play along.

"Happy birthday." She whispered into his ear which painted a smile on his face.

-

"Didn't you feel like you were ever in a different time?"

It does take its toll on you at times...

"That's the Dark Hour."


End file.
